Schaffner receives UpShot Award in vaccine communication

by Craig Boerner | Thursday, Jun. 15, 2017, 10:34 AM

The National Vaccine Program Office (NVPO) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has selected William Schaffner, M.D., professor of Preventive Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), to receive its 2017 NVPO UpShot Award in Vaccine Communication.

William Schaffner, M.D.

NVPO officials said Schaffner “has reached beyond the public health community to provide actionable, evidence-based answers to health care professionals, the media, and concerned parents across the nation.”

The UpShot Award is the first of its kind to bring together federal agencies in vaccines and immunization to recognize and celebrate exceptional individuals and organizations in the field.

Recipients were selected through a competitive process and must demonstrate excellence in leadership, collaboration, innovation, research or practice.

National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) Executive Director and CEO Maria Dalton received the award on Schaffner’s behalf at the National Vaccine Advisory Committee Meeting on June 6, 2017, in Washington, D.C.

Schaffner thanked the NFID and VUMC, who have supported and encouraged his efforts over the years.

“I am most appreciative of this recognition by the National Vaccine Program Office and am pleased to accept it, as well on behalf of my colleagues at the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases,” said Schaffner, who also serves as medical director for the NFID.

“We work together to provide clear, science-based information to both health care professionals and the public about the importance of vaccines in preventing ominous diseases across the lifespan. Vaccines cannot speak for themselves; they need vocal advocates in every community in order to preserve their great contributions to healthier lives and healthier communities,” he said.